Secrets Revealed
by shel-belle
Summary: Somehow, strange but familiar cats begin to appear in all the territories by the lake. They have all died before. The Dark Forest cats and StarClan are there too. Like Rock said, there will be battles avenging old grievances and even more secrets!
1. Chapter 1

Ivypaw padded silently towards the apprentices den. She found her sister sleeping and struggled to wake her.

"Dovepaw! Wake up! Come and see what I found," Ivypaw whispered urgently. She prodded her sharply. Dovepaw slowly blinked open her eyes and sat up groggily and yawned.

"What? Dawn patrol already?" Dovepaw asked. She blinked in surprise as Ivypaw's tail slapped her mouth.

"Shh, I found a tunnel. Come on! Let's explore it before any warriors find it or Firestar blocks it up." She slipped outside the den.

"Coming?" Dovepaw nodded and picked her way around Cherrypaw's tail. Ivypaw motioned with her tail for Dovepaw to follow her through the dirt place. She followed quietly and when they were in the forest Ivypaw broke into a quick steady trot. Ivypaw's eyes scanned the trees and came to a stop by a piece of flat wood.

"There," she whispered. Dovepaw's ears twitched slightly.

"Someone's following us," she mewed quietly in Ivypaw's ear. Ivypaw scented the air and turned around. Her eyes focused on some ferns that were slightly shaking.

"Who's there?" Ivypaw asked sharply. Dovepaw stared at the ferns and spotted a golden tail behind it. _Lionblaze._ He seemed to realize his mistake because a heartbeat later his tail slapped the damp dewy earth.

"Lionblaze, I know where you're hiding. Come out. Please?" Dovepaw meowed impatiently. She watched as Lionblaze stepped out and trotted toward the tunnel and sniffed it cautiously. Lionblaze's fur was bristling with anger.

"Don't you know that a cat died in there? These tunnels also caused a battle between four Clans." He glared at them before speaking again.

"Never come back," Lionblaze snarled angrily. He turned and stalked away. Lionblaze stopped abruptly after hearing a distant shriek of pain. He turned, his amber eyes full of hope, and scented the air. He raced into the tunnel and saw his sister, Hollyleaf, in a shallow pool of blood with two kits in it. Lionblaze licked her ear and told her that she would be okay. Hollyleaf's eyes flickered open for a heartbeat before closing again.

"I missed you so much," she rasped weakly.

"No," Lionblaze whispered. "I'll get Jayfeather." Lionblaze ran out and found Ivypaw and Dovepaw still there.

"Fetch Jayfeather and tell him that Hollyleaf's alive and having her kits," he meowed urgently. Ivypaw turned and raced to the hollow.

After she had left, Dovepaw looked at Lionblaze uncertainly,"May I see her?" He hesitated before answering her.

_Would Hollyleaf mind? Dovepaw did replace her in the prophecy._

"Sure," he mewed. Dovepaw crept in slowly, unsure of herself, after Lionblaze.

"Hollyleaf?" Lionblaze called out softly. Hollyleaf didn't answer. She lay unconscious by her kits. Dovepaw peered at them. _Were they all dead? _By instinct, Dovepaw nipped open a kit's sac so it could breathe, if they were still alive. She did the same for the other three. She rubbed the fur of the kit closest to her the wrong way drying it and helping to stimulate its breathing. The kit coughed and took her first breath. Dovepaw looked for another and saw one completely still. She put her ear to its chest. _Dead. __Where was Jayfeather? She couldn't do this all alone. _She scanned the clearing in hope of finding him. _Lionblaze! Why was he still here and not helping her with the kits? _

"Lionblaze, help me with these kits!" she commanded him. Lionblaze nodded numbly, still in shock.

He turned away from his sister with a last despairing glance at her before asking,"What do I do?"

"Just copy me," Dovepaw answered, while picking up a kit and opening its sac. "Now rub the back, like this, so they could breathe." The kit mewled loudly searching for its mother and some milk.

"What are you doing to my mate and kits?" growled an angry tom with a plump squirrel at his paws.

"Oh!" mewed Dovepaw in surprise. "These are your kits?"

"Answer my question," the tom commanded.

Lionblaze answered this time. "Hollyleaf gave birth to six kits and she went unconscious because their were so many. Three of the kits have already died."

The other cat looked shocked. He glanced at his mate and saw the blood and the kits. "Sorry about that. How do you know her name?"

Lionblaze meowed sadly,"She's my sister and I thought she was dead after the tunnel collapsed on her."

The tom nodded thoughtfully. "You must be Lionblaze then. I'm Fallen Leaves. What should we do about Hollyleaf?" Their was a quiet rustling near the entrance and he jumped. A gray tabby head appeared carrying a bundle of herbs. He sniffed the air repeatedly. "Fallen Leaves?" he whispered, shocked.


	2. Chapter 2

Fallen Leaves looked up at him in delighted surprise. "Jaypaw!" The gray tabby's shock was still spread across his face.

"How, in the name of StarClan, did you get here?"

"I'm not sure, Jaypaw, but it feels great to be able to roam outside of these tunnels!"

"It's Jayfeather now." Jayfeather padded to his sister's side and sniffed her. He sorted through the herbs and chose some leaves. The ThunderClan medicine cat chewed the poultice and rubbed it on Hollyleaf's flank. He curled up next to her and closed his eyes, matching her slow ragged breaths.

* * *

><p>Jayfeather scented the air. StarClan and the Dark Forest scents were mingled and the usually green, lush grass was red and bloodstained. He spotted a dark pelt and bright, green eyes.<p>

Jayfeather ran towards her, "Hollyleaf!" Said she-cat turned. Relief and mild surprise was in his littermate's eyes.

"Where am I? Is this StarClan or the Dark Forest?"

Jayfeather shook his head. "There was a battle between them and this is where the border is. Follow me back home." Jayfeather trotted away until he stopped by a few trees to make sure she was following. Hollyleaf was just a few tail-lengths behind him. They continued.

"J-Jayfeather? Wake up! Don't die, too!" Dovepaw wailed. He blinked open his eyes and Jayfeather's fear scent was sharp.

"They're all gone. StarClan, the Dark Forest, everyone," he murmured quietly. Hollyleaf coughed, exhausted. Lionblaze stared at his brother in disbelief.

"How did you do that? You were barely breathing; I thought you were going to die. I was sure Hollyleaf was dead and you both wake up!"

Jayfeather shrugged. "It's what I do. I travel to StarClan when I want and can fetch the dying who aren't ready yet. More importantly, it's bloodstained and deserted there. Either every cat died or they're all in hiding." Hollyleaf coughed again, now fully awake.

"How do you feel?" Jayfeather asked gently.

"You were in my dream; you said-" Jayfeather cut her off. "It was only a dream. Go back to sleep." Hollyleaf closed her eyes obediently and after awhile her soft snoring filled the tunnels. He glanced down at the kits. "I'm going to take them to Poppyfrost." He picked up a kit in his jaws and padded out the tunnel.

"I'll help," Dovepaw offered immediately. Lionblaze layed his tail on Hollyleaf's shoulder protectively.

"I'm staying here." Dovepaw followed Jayfeather out. The two cats met Cinderheart guarding the thorn entrance.

"Kits!" Cinderheart mewed in surprise. She didn't recieve a reply; both the cats had their mouths full of kit. "I'll tell Firestar!" she yowled over her shoulder as she headed towards Highledge. Jayfeather and Dovepaw went to the nursery.

"Poppyfrost?" Jayfeather mewed quietly, laying the kit down softly.

"Hmmm?" the queen asked groggily.

"Can you watch these kits until the mother recovers? She isn't feeling too good after her kitting."

"Sure, but who is the mother and what are the kits names?"

"The kits aren't named yet and the mother is still very tired. I don't think you should know who she is yet."

"Okay." Dovepaw nudged her kit towards Poppyfrost. She let the kits suckle the little remaining milk she had left. "They need more milk," she mewed urgently.

"The mother will recover soon; you don't have to worry about it. I'll fetch you some borage to help with your milk supply, though." Jayfeather disappeared.

* * *

><p>Dovepaw sighed, exasperated. "No, I am not Dove's Wing!"<p>

The white she-cat protested again,"But you look so much like her! Have you seen my mate, Jay's Wing?"

"No, I haven't. Can you please go away before a patrol catches you here?" Half Moon wasn't listening.

"Oh! Jay's Wing was right! The twolegs did build a twolegplace here." She purred in delight as she spotted a familiar gray tabby pelt. She entwined her tail with the tom's and covered him with licks. "Where were you? I looked and looked but I couldn't find you anywhere. After we traveled to the mountains, I returned to see if you were here and you are!" she scolded him lightly. The tabby growled in annoyance. Half Moon leaped back in surprise. "What happened to your eyes, Jay's Wing?" His eyes softened.

"Half Moon, I missed you so much."

"Jayfeather, what's going on?" Dovepaw asked nervously. She didn't like where this was heading. Jayfeather blinked as if he just noticed she was there.

"Dovepaw, why don't you...umm...visit the nursery and check on the kits?" he asked hopefully.

Her eyes narrowed,"No, I think I'm going to stay right here." Jayfeather let out a sigh and turned back to Half Moon.

"I'm going to take you to Firestar and see if you can stay," he meowed looking pained about something.

"Okay!" she agreed immediately. Half Moon purred and pressed herself to her mate's side. He froze for a heartbeatand joined her, purring happily. They padded to the thorn entrance and met Mousewhisker there guarding it.

He let out a hiss, "Jayfeather what are you _doing_?"

"Taking her to Firestar," he replied calmly, laying his tail protectively on her shoulder.

"But-but you're a _medicene cat_!"

"And?" Jayfeather left Mousewhisker standing there while he began explaining to Half Moon how the Clan worked. He motioned with his tail,"That's Firestar, our leader and that's his den. Come on up."

Half Moon glanced Jayfeather uncertainly. "Can you-" Sensing her doubt, he interrupted her. "I'm fine." She leaped up and began climbing, Jayfeather ahead of her.

"Firestar," he mewed quietly.

"Hmmm...?" the ThunderClan leader asked sleepily.

"This is Half Moon," he announced. "Can she stay here?"

Firestar looked at him sharply. "Accept another rogue, loner or kittypet?"

"Of course not," Jayfeather mewed smoothly. "She was here before us and she and other cats later became the Tribe of Rushing Water. That should be enough to let her stay."


End file.
